The Advanced Materials Show 2019 presentation

1. Government supported opportunities
for working sustainably with plastics
Dr Sally Beken, KTN
UK Circular Plastics Network
Advanced Materials, July 10-11th, 2019

3. Policy Levers (Subject to consultation)
Extended
Producer
Responsibility
Single use plastic: banning the distribution
and/or sale of plastic straws, stirrers and
plastic-stemmed cotton buds in England
New tax on produced or
imported plastic packaging
that does not contain at least
30% recycled content
Deposit Return System (Beverage Containers)
Potential Investment
Plastics Research & Innovation Fund (£20M)
Date: 2018-2021
Research:
Plastics
‘Creativity’
funding (~£8M)
R&D:
Plastics Innovation
funding | Sky Ocean
Ventures Competition
& Investment Fund
(~£10M)
Leadership and
knowledge exchange:
Roadmap | UK Circular
Plastics Network |
WRAP Flagship
Projects (~£2M)
Commonwealth Marine Plastics Research
and Innovation Framework (£25M)
Date:2018-2022
Governance (Steering
Committee and Secretariat)
Existing Research and
Innovation
New R&I
Capacity Building
Gov’t Investment
& Policy towards
zero plastic waste
Future?
Future?
Committed
ISCF Wave 3 Smart Sustainable Plastic
Packaging: Towards Zero Waste Challenge
(Up to £60m ISCF + industry match)
Date: 2019-2023
Committed
Emerging Risks from
Microplastics in the Marine
Environment (Up to £3M)
Date: 2018 - 2022

4. ukcpn.co.uk
• Membership
free
• Free events
• Newsletter
• Funding alerts
• Landscape map
• Workshops (FSA)
@UKCPNetworkCombined community 2.5K

5. UKRI Investment
Approx. £140M across Research Councils & Innovate UK in the last 3 yrs.
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Bio plastic
Bio refinery
Catalysis
Ecological effects
Human behaviour
Human effects
New material
Plastic production
Recycling
Sustainable polymer
Waste - energy
Waste management
AHRC
BBSRC
EPSRC
ESRC
Innovate UK
MRC
NERC
STFC
£0
£5
£10
£15
£20
£25
£30
Millions
Investment value by research area

6. Collaborative R&D - recent datavis.innovateuk.gov.uk

7. • BLUE CASTLE
In-cycle
Ltd
Plastics Research & Innovation Fund (£20M)
Date: 2018-2021

8. Naturbeads - Scale up of cellulose microbeads
production for the replacement of plastic
ingredients in personal care and cosmetic
products
Plastics Research & Innovation Fund (£20M)
Date: 2018-2021

9. Academic work - EPSRC
• Designing-out Plastic Waste (University College London): bacteria-based recycling
technology for plastics.
• Evolving a circular plastics economy (University of Hull): this seeks to develop
biodegradable biopolymers.
• RE3 – Rethinking Resources and Recycling (Manchester): graphene membrane filters
for the removal of micro-plastics in water and a chemical-method of recycling mixed
soft plastic.
• Exeter Multidisciplinary Plastics Research hub: ExeMPLaR (University of Exeter)
• UKRI Circular Economy Approaches to Eliminate Plastic Waste (University of
Cambridge)
• Advancing Creative Circular Economies for Plastics via Technological-Social Transitions
(Queen’s University of Belfast)
• Plastics: Redefining Single-Use (University of Sheffield)
• Holistic integration of technology, design and policy for a greener plastic future
(Imperial College London)
Research:
Plastics
‘Creativity’
funding (~£8M)

10. Future - New polymers, materials
BIO: PLA, Cellulose
Lignin
Bananas, milk,
seaweed…

11. New sorting / recycling processes / collection
BLUE CASTLE
pvc

12. Thermal, microwave, enzymatic….
New manufacturing processes
New recycling processes – chemical
FUTURE – Mechanical - Degradation mechanisms and food contact / safety

13. New designs

14. Drivers:
• Political, consumer and business willingness
• Many potential solutions
• Behaviour change
• Unintended consequences
• Government funding
• Defra Strategy
• Legislation, DRS
• Producer responsibility
• China waste ban
• Wrap Pact

15. Current/new Funding
• Smart Grants - £20m – closes 24th July
• Circular Economy Fund - £6.5m (Wales) £18m Zero Waste Scotland
• Wrap Plastics and Textiles Fund – closes 2nd August
• Birmingham Business Fund - £2.5K - £1million
• Alliance to End Plastic Waste- billions….
• Commonwealth Fund - BEIS
• Horizon2020 – new call 5/6 areas
• SSPP - £60m

16. How to apply
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/innovate-uk

17. Upcoming Events:
10-11th July: Advanced Materials, TIC
11-12th Sept: RWM: NEC Birmingham
26th Sept: RECOUP, Peterborough
tbc October: Creative Industries, Somerset House
6th Nov: Re-use, The Studio, Birmingham
26th Nov: Chemistry/IB circularity, Manchester
18 Feb: Materials Research Exchange

18. ukcpn.co.uk
sally.beken@ktn-uk.org